Would using a dream machine pro negate the need for a gigabit switch?
Only if all you need is 8 LAN ports
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IIRC correctly, the ports in the UDMP are bridged in software, so its switching throughput is less than a dedicated switch. (The same is likely true for most any router with multiple LAN ports, though.)
If you don't need truly full gigabit speed, you'll be fine with the ports in the UDMP. If you want a dedicated switch (and don't need VLAN tagging) then a cheap unmanaged consumer switch can be had pretty cheaply (~$20).
The UDM Pro can route +3gbps with IDS enabled so I expect it’ll be able to switch much more than that on the LAN.
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Worth noting the connection limitation for people with ISPs offering above 1 Gbps:
UDM Pro, SE and the Cloud Gateway Ultra have the full switching capacity on their LAN ports that a standalone switch would have. However, the WAN port is connected to the LAN ports through the CPU and that link is limited to 1 Gbps.
Newer devices like the UDM Pro Max and Cloud Gateway max increase this connection to at least 2.5 Gbps.
I'm curious about this, as I have a UDM SE with a 10GbE SFP+ module installed. My Proxmox server is connected via 10GbE to a switch, which is connected to that SFP+ module. I routinely see Speedtest.net results well above 1Gbps, often near 2Gbps.
Apparently the SFP+ ports have a 10 Gbps back plane to the WAN port, but the 1 Gbps LAN ports are connected as a whole by the 1 Gbps backplane to the WAN port.
This reddit post has the best explanation for it UDM SE
I would agree with what's been said above, and thought I'd take a shot a summarizing and expanding on the concepts mentioned:
The 1Gbps LAN ports on the Dream Machine Pro/SE function much the same as a separate switch performance-wise. This would be fine for a small LAN if 8 ports is sufficient for your needs.
However, if you need more than 8 ports, or are connected to an ISP with speeds greater than 1Gbps available you'll want a separate switch capable of 2.5Gbps or better. In my case, I use the ports on my UDM SE for one UniFi AP, one of my Pihole servers and one other 1 Gbps switch.
The bulk of my network is connected via a UniFi Aggregation Switch that has 8 SFP+ ports, this allows me to use mixture of inexpensive 1Gbps modules and more expensive 10Gbps modules -- upgrading as needed.
The USW-Aggregation has a few systems connected directly, like my Proxmox server, but otherwise is connected to other switches. Some of those switches at 10Gbps and some at 1Gbps depending on the connected devices capabilities.
This has worked well for me as my network has grown, and the need-for-speed has increased. Being able to move data on my LAN at 10Gbps, and connect to the outside world at ~2Gbps has been pretty sweet.